Re-live original 'War of the Worlds' at Rahway's Hamilton Stage

Experience the excitement of America’s first big electronic media event as a live performance of Orson Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio drama comes to Rahway’s Hamilton Stage for the Performing Arts Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m.

An adaptation of H.G. Wells’ spine-tingling “War of the Worlds” novel was first performed Oct. 30, 1938 on the CBS radio network as the Halloween episode of Mercury Theatre On Air.

Scripted by then unknown actor Orson Welles, the narrative began innocently enough in the small, All-American hamlet of Grover Mills, New Jersey … suddenly, the program is interrupted by breaking news flashes about strange explosions on Mars and the landing of a cylindrical spacecraft on Earth.

Pandemonium ensues with increasingly breathless reports of Martians sweeping the countryside, the fate of the human race hanging in the balance!

By the time the show ended, more than 6 million people across the U.S. had tuned in; major newspapers and other radio networks reported the broadcast as actual news. Welles’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast was the most powerful and imaginative use of mass media yet seen.

The Nov. 2 presentation at Hamilton Stage is $20 general admission. Tickets are available online at ucpac.org, by calling 732-499-8226, or visiting the UCPAC box office, 1601 Irving St., Rahway.

The evening also features a War of the Worlds costume contest, with prizes and a participation donation of $2, proceeds given to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. Costume prizes and details are at hamiltonstagenj.com.

Raconteur Radio, a Central Jersey theatre company headed by actor/playwright Alex Dawson, stages theatrical dramatizations of vintage and original radio plays — well-crafted tributes to yesteryear’s “theatre of the imagination.”

Actors recreate a period radio studio, gathering around a vintage, fully functioning “fat boy” microphone to deliver a scripted performance complete with theatrical lighting, costumes and hundreds of sound effects.

The Nov. 2 “War of the Worlds” presentation also features live 1930’s musical interludes with pianist Arlan Feiles and vocalist Danielle Illario along with an extensive exhibition War of the Worlds memorabilia.

“Hamilton Stage was created to showcase exciting experimental artists,” said Hamilton Stage Managing Director L.E. McCullough. "Raconteur Radio is producing some of the finest new work in vintage theatre today."

For more information about the 2013-14 performance season at UCPAC’s Hamilton Stage, visit hamiltonstagenj.com.